Events - Calendar
The Jim Rome Show Love him or hate him (there's no in-between), he's single-handedly raising the social consciousness of the average sports fan through sports radio and TV entertainment - for real!
Vuelta a Espana Tour of Spain, August 30-September 21. Team Astana is there and representin' with its Big Dogs, including Alberto Contador, American Levi Leipheimer, and Andreas Kloden. Team CSC arrived with 2008 Tour de France winner, Carlos Sastre. Sitting out the TdF after being caught for recreational drug use, sprinter Tom Boonen is back in action for Team Quick-Step.
The Paralympic Games will take place in Beijing September 6-17 (including road cycling).
El Tour de Tucson November 22
Tour of California February 2008 included a stage resulting in a great day for... Canada! Only a Canadian cyclist would say this: "Last time I raced in such tough weather, I won the stage. ...When the wind came, I said keep it coming." (Dominique Rollin) There was actually a rider named David Canada in the race, but he's from Spain. Go figure.
Spring Training, baby! Late February through late March
Frozen Four Washington DC, April 9-11
Tour of the Gila April 30-May 4. Chris Horner of Astana raced in the Gila a couple times ('02 & '04). In Jan. '08 he told me, "It's always well done. You're at altitude, too. They're kind of limited on the roads but it's a really well put-on race and a great little city."
Giro d'Italia May. Check out these photos of the 2006 Giro. In 2008, despite a last minute invite to race, team Astana answered the call with an overall win by Alberto Contador.
Grande Boucle Feminine Internationale mid-June. The women's version of the Tour de France.
Tour de France July 4-26. A quote from Bicycling.com about the 2008 Lanterne Rouge "winner," Wim Vansevenant: But while he often finishes last, Vansevenant never considers dropping out of the grueling three-week race. "Why do you even start the Tour?" he asks. "You know it is going to be hard when you start. It's like marriage. Why do you get married? It's a question without an answer."
2008 Summer Olympics August 8-24. Gymnast Joey Hagerty of Rio Rancho, NM (or is that Rio Ranchero?) won Bronze with the US Men's Olympic Gymnastics Team!
Tour of Ireland August. A few of the bigger names competing
included David Millar, Magnus Backstedt, Julian Dean, and Mark Cavendish. Cavendish is our buddy who won all
those stages in the Tour de France but left early to prepare for and compete in the Olympics, all for naught.
He admitted to being pretty depressed about that, but felt a bit better after winning three
stages in Ireland. Italian Marco Pinotti won the race overall.
Way to go TOI for being green.
Websites
VeloNews: The Journal of Competitive Cycling
ROAD: The Journal of Road Cycling and Culture
Movies
Bull Durham - minor league baseball, way funny
The Triplets of Belleville - animated cycling, unique
Mystery, Alaska - pond hockey vs. the NHL, humor
Breaking Away - oldtime cycling drama
American Flyers - oldtime cycling drama
Fight Club - "No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide." While not for everyone, at least the first 3/4ths of the movie is a highly entertaining, thought-provoking, cultural commentary with some street fighting mixed in. If you've only seen it once, see it again. You'll catch things you didn't see/hear the first time.
Books
The Agony of Victory: When Winning Isn't Enough by Steve Friedman, 2007
Gimp: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold - or You Can Play by Mark Zupan, 2006
Zamboni Rodeo: Chasing Hockey Dreams From Austin to Albuquerque by Jason Cohen, 2001
Open Net by George Plimpton, 1985
Bobke II by Bob Roll, 2003
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins, 2001
Lance Armstrong's War by Daniel Coyle, 2005
Tropic of Hockey: My Search For the Game in Unlikely Places by Dave Bidini, 2000